Pre-TOS or Cage era?

[LtCdr Kagan]

I've been running a series that could be called pre-TOS or Cage era, during the days of Pike, Number One, Boyce, some young Vulcan named Spock, and an academy cadet who has a knack for reprogramming simulation computers.
The series is not on the 1701 but is on a Loknar-class frigate (thanks to FASA for that ship). My problem is that "canonically" speaking I have to watch hundreds of hours of all five televised Treks (this is such a bother ) to make sure that my players feel that it fits canonically. Occasionally in a TNG or DS9 episode there is a reference to a race contacted "over a century ago" so there are some possible arcs. The real problem is that we seem to only bump into Klingons...and far too often...even for me. Other than TOS-style episodic presentations, there seems to be a problem with story arcs.
I need some suggestions that would not seem "uncanonical" for my players while at the same time require them to do all those things they love to do...starship combat, NPC interactions, Federation diplomacy, ongoing arcs, etc. etc.
Thanks ahead of time!!!

[Gorefiend]

http://www.coldnorth.com/memoryicon/netbook/2250s.zip

A Time For Heroes, a Sourcebook for the
Pre-TOS Era, by Richard Tongue <-- could kiss him for the great work ^^ though it does not have any orion ships in it

[tmutant]

Orions, Nausican Pirates, increasing hostility towards Axanar by Klingons, (oh wait, there are those Klingons again )

For a continuing adversary, I'd suggest the cagey Orions, perhaps even using the Nausicans as a foil against the Federation (i.e., your player characters). Occasionally using the Klingons is o.k., and mix in a few one shot "planet of the week" episodes.

Perhaps use the Klingons to threaten the Orions, forcing them to turn to the Federation. Establishing a trade relationship could put the Federation in a position to play foil against the Klingons, while the Nausican pirates are being secretly supported by the Orions, and Orions are secretly running various criminal enterprises in Federation space. Don't be afraid to make it more intricate than that, even. Peel back one layer of the onion, find another onion.

[LtCdr Kagan]

Great ideas, guys! I intend to really work on that whole Orion arc you sketched out tmutant...you really got my mind churning on that...hadn't considered the greenies in awhile.

I was wondering about the creation of a couple of minor races that have achieved warp. These might be comparable to ENT-area humans, Vulcan, or Andorians (i.e. only a handful of systems in their care). Here would be first contact, diplomatic negotiation tensions, and increased courting of new warp race by all parties (UFP, KE, and Orions). Somewhere I read or heard that there were nearly 200 members of the Federation in TOS...most of whom we never met even by DS9.

If there are any other ideas I welcome them too.

[Sea Tyger]

If you go with some of the FASA history, the Caitians/Regulans were recent members of the Federation. It's quite possible that first contact took place between 2245-2260.

[calguard66]

I also recall something in the FASA history about the Andorians running amuck just after the fleets were combined (or perhaps just before)... blockading ports in favor of their own trade vessels, etc. Would actually provide an excellent political reason for creating/ empowering Starfleet as a UFP-wide force and limiting member planets' navies to a SDF-style force.

I'll try to look it up.

[LtCdr Kagan]

Great ideas!
But you guys are going to make me dig in that box again where I keep all those old FASA thingys...oh well...it could be a worse sentence I guess.

[Methuslah]

There are three interesting enemies that can be used in this time period, none of which made much impact in canonical Trek.

The first is the Sheliak, from the TNG episode 'Ensigns of Command'. The conflicts with the Federation took place in the 2250s; I actually ran that first contact in a session of my campaign.

The second, of course, are the Orions. The 'Cage' is good here, and of course 'JOurney to Babel'. I'd also recommed the animated 'Pirates of Orion', or still better the Alan Dean Foster novelization (Log 5). In fact, all the ADF stuff is good for a pre-TOS camapign.

The Kzinti are the third; they had a major impact on the Federation during this period. The Fourth Kzin War happens around 2252.

Make sure you watch the Cage before you start, and if possible make sure your players do as well. 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' is also good. I'd also recommend watching 'Forbidden Planet' - it has the same military vibes to it. I thought that was key to the era - Starfleet is primarily a military organization at this point - security guards on the bridge standing to attention, a more formalized structure.

Richard Tongue

[calguard66]

Yeah, an dif you use the Sheliak a lot it will give that latent lawyer who always wants to be JAG something to do...

Alternately, the CO could dump the responsibility for deciphering the treaties on his poor yeoman....

[LtCdr Kagan]

Originally posted by Methuslah
There are three interesting enemies that can be used in this time period, none of which made much impact in canonical Trek.

Make sure you watch the Cage...'Where No Man Has Gone Before'...'Forbidden Planet'

Took your advice, watched Cage, WNMHGB, Forbidden Planet again. Enjoyed every minute of them. Also TAS episodes that included Kzinti, Orions, Klingons, and a few more interesting aliens like "The Time Trap". Rereading some of ADF's Logs tied to those episodes. Man, I'm ready to go now.

Our PC crew is about two-third human and one-third Andorian. I know that rubs against what some believe would have been likely during the Cage time frame.

I like to be highly organized...like the Decipher Narrator book's idea about planning the "season". How often would you people out there think these major races might be encountered in a season?

[calguard66]

Well, fleet integration would have been happening around them. You could say that Starfleet was trying several different ideas... some ships had one primary crew race with others scattered about, others were split between two or three main races, some were a mish-mash of many races and some remained essentially single-race vessels.

Could throw in a subplot of Andorian dissatisfaction with Human command styles, sort of like the early Voyager Starfleet/ Maquis split.

[LtCdr Kagan]

Yes, Cal, that is a consideration together with this being the captain's first command and all.

One of the future episodes involves a fleet action which includes both Starfleet and the remnants of the former cultural fleets. The Vulcans send an Admiral with their fleet who has experience. Our PCs humans and Andorians must determine whether to follow Starfleet's orders which carry a lot of human, Andorian, and Tellarite bravado; or join the untrustworthy and un-Starfleet Vulcans in their logical approach. The high ranking NPCs of all allies are condescendingly insulting to the point of racial prejudice.

Having watched "Journey to Babel" just yesterday, I noticed that the delegates, including Sarek, engaged in this sort of banter some fifteen years after my timeline. I figure that if Federation history is similar to U.S. history the difference between 1965's and 1980's racial tension is that the verbal rhetoric had calmed somewhat; whether or not the hearts had calmed. So extrapolating back 15 years from "Journey to Babel" would require some rather intense racial rhetoric. It may appeal to cultural pride rather than racism, but it should be realistic to the day. Also, the Berlin Wall came down 15 years ago now, and to some extent we are still wary of the Russians; however, we don't use the same public rhetoric that we once used when the 40th president called them "The Evil Empire".

Just some thoughts!

Hey, thanks...are there any other suggestions out there? My players may harp on canonicity, but Star Trek doesn't have to be fully explained all the time. I have written about 10 plots synopses from you guys suggestions...keep them coming.

[Methuslah]

Well, I'll give you a few bits I was using in my campaign:

The Sheliak: good for 'unknown aliens on the frontier' stories. I was planning to build up to first contact over a longish period; the result of that contact could be up to the PCs.

The Axanar War: This has only just happened. There are likely to be lots of Axanari renegades wandering around causing trouble. I see parallels between Axanar in the 2250s and Bajor in the 2370s - both troubled worlds seeking membership in the Federation, with a lot of history in their past.

The Starfleet issue: One of the elements I was trying to bring out in 'A Time For Heroes' was a clash between two sides of Starfleet. The Federation has been at war for about thirty years with one power or another - the military side is very strong, yet there is a group wanting to return to the 'golden days' of pure exploration. The clash can be used simply for role-playing, or perhaps for darker storylines; maybe a group trying to start a war with the Klingons, or even the Romulans. Perhaps an old hawk strirring up trouble, as in 'Wounded'.

The Prime Directive: OK - at this point 'Prime Suggestion' is probably closer to the mark, but it is still important, and moreover new. The questions of what is acceptable are still suspect, and there are far fewer guidelines to help out starship crews.

Richard Tongue

[Tobian]

The bottom line where the prime Directive is concerned is that like all laws the law has to be put there for a REASON and that reason is usually reactionary - aka "THAT SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN" type fo thing.. so especially in the youth of the Federation, and with the outward expansion, after a lul in exploration (after the war) would be an excelent example for the crew to show them WHY the Prime directive is important!

You could set up a mission which has no essential rules of conduct where the very nature of it means that if they aren't careful it could go horribly wrong! The Sheliak might be reacting that way in the 24th century because of a slight to their laws back in the 22nd !

Just because the crew aren't morally bound by the Prime directive they still have mission parameters and the captain can still say "If you do that you're spending 3 weeks in the Brig -or worse!" and it doesn't mean they are inherently stupid and that they can't forsee a huge disaster if they beam down into xenophobic mud-hut city saying "we are your friends, but please stop hitting us with those clubs.. no don't tough that it's ... argh...."

It should be an interesting hands off campaign.. give them plenty of rope to hang themselves by !

[LtCdr Kagan]

Watching The Journey to Babel on Saturday, I noticed in the background a purple woman with golden hair. Does anyone know what race this is?
What about the monks in the yellowish-green robes?
And midget shriners in the fezes?
Has anyone worked up any numbers FASA, LUG, or CODA on any of these races in the background? If you have, could you post them here?
If you haven't, what are your ideas about those background extras?